The best experience that is, unless you prefer Return of the King. For EA's second go-round they'd introduce even more playable characters, letting you take on the horde as a fully-voiced Sam, defending "Mr. Frodo" yourself with each sword swing. The Hobbits were great fun to control too, with plenty of rolling dodges and quick movements meaning you could dart between enemies in a blur of perfectly-animated amateur swordsmanship. Of course the refined animations didn't stop with just the Hobbits, we also got Gandalf the White - sporting an immeasurably badass combo of his white staff and sword. Remember that scene in Return where he leaps past Pippin to save him from a group of Uruk-Hai in a blur of blades and staff-thwacks? EA noticed it was one of the best moments too, putting you in charge of him to reenact the very same thing a few hundred times over across the level. With the development team building on their previous efforts the scope was increased tenfold, giving us things like fighting amongst the feet of a lumbering group of Ents, or the Minas Tirith fight that was every bit as jaw-dropping as in the film. Along with multiple background elements and the overall look we knew and loved from the movie, backed by that gorgeously anthemic and now-legendary score, ROTK is every bit as good in game form as on the silver screen. Which are your favourite Lord of the Rings games from over the years? Let us know in the comments!
